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KTAC
'KTAC (97.5 MHz, "97-5 KTAC") is a commercial FM radio station which is licensed to Seattle, Washington and broadcasts to the Seattle metropolitan area. The station airs a contemporary hit radio (CHR) or "top 40" format as "97-5 KTAC" with the call letters pronounced as 'Kay Tack'. KTAC is owned by Minnesota-based Five Star Broadcasting, which has been heralded for turning the ratings around in one year. KTAC airs the nationally syndicated The JDL Show in the morning time slot History KBLE-FM The station signed on the air on May 6, 1964, as KBLE-FM Tacoma. It was owned by King Broadcasting and aired a Christian format. It was powered at 6,600 watts, a fraction of its current output. Within a few years, KBLE-FM began playing country music. KBLE-FM's power was increased to 20,000 watts and its transmitter was moved to Cougar Mountain in Issaquah. In the 1970s, the stations were acquired by Orlander Media, which returned the religious format and filed for change of coverage, which moved the tower closer to Seattle and increased power. The Northwest's New 97 FM In late 1980, First Media acquired the now 100,000 watt Seattle station. On March 17, 1981, KBLE-FM flipped to an automated Top 40/CHR format as "The Northwest's New 97 FM." The station's first song was "Use ta Be My Girl" by The O'Jays, followed by "Beast of Burden" by The Rolling Stones. Musicradio K-TAC 97 FM On July 8, 1981, at 5:04 p.m., the station officially launched with a live and local staff of DJs. On April 2, 1982, the call letters were changed to KTAC (in honor of it's former City of License) and the station became known as "K-TAC 97 1/2 FM." Shortly after the switch to Top 40, the station shot up to the top 5 in the Seattle market ratings (occasionally reaching #1 in some books and target demographics). In 1989, Cook Inlet Broadcasters acquired the station. KTAC competed against Top 40 powerhouse "Z103" KZSZ (owned by Westinghouse Broadcasting), creating an intense rivalry between the two stations through the rest of the 1980s. From KTAC's Top 40 launch until September 1995, mornings were hosted by Rick Stevens (formerly of KJR) and Miles Leonard (formerly of KPCB (AM)). KTAC 97-5 In November 1991, KTAC shifted to a Rhythmic contemporary direction as "KTAC 97-5 Jamz", and maintained strong ratings during this period. In March 1994, Cook Inlet sold KTAC to a partnership between Hannover Management and the Bailey Group called HB Media. Also that month, likely due to the public outcry of a "gangland-style" drive by shooting of a Ballard High School student (which some blamed hip hop music and a growing gangster culture in Seattle as a motivator behind it), as well as their audience's changing music tastes, KTAC shifted to a hybrid Rhythmic/Modern Rock format as simply "KTAC 97-5." The station began using the slogans "Seattle's New Music Revolution" and "Channel X," a popular way to identify modern rock stations at the time. However, the station's ratings were not impressive with the format, and by November of that year, the station flipped back to a full-blown Rhythmic format. The station quickly regained its top 10 status, usually peaking at #1 in several books for the next several years. In February 1998, the Bailey Group bought the station outright from Hannover Management. Bailey sold KTAC to Nationwide Communications in 2000. For many years, KTAC marketed itself as "Seattle's #1 Hit Music Station, KTAC 97.5." iHeartMedia (then known as Clear Channel Communications) purchased KTAC from Nationwide Communications in 2001. Despite many years of high ratings, around 2011, however, KTAC's ratings began declining, largely due to poor programming and marketing decisions. KTAC was also no exception to company-wide budget cuts at Clear Channel, with several long-time personalities replaced with voicetracked talent from outside of the market. Five Star Broadcasting acquired the station in early 2019 and completely revamped the station, replacing the entire air staff and reimaging the station as well. The playlist was then modified to a pure CHR format and the ratings immediately grew. In the October 2019 Nielsen ratings period for the Seattle market, KTAC was ranked #3 with a 4.9 share. One year prior, KTAC was ranked #13 with a 2.7 share. Category:97.5 FM Category:Seattle Category:Washington (State) Category:Top 40 radio stations Category:Top 40/CHR formatted stations Category:Five Star Broadcasting Category:Top 40 formatted stations Category:Contemporary Hit radio stations Category:Heritage radio stations Category:The JDL Show